Weka
Gallirallus australis
Large, flightless rail endemic to New Zealand. Can be very curious, especially when living around people. Extinct over large tracts of the mainland. Variable plumage. Most birds are predominantly light brown with red eyes, a broad pointed bill, and strong legs. Often detected by characteristic “cooeet” calls given at dawn and in early evening. Buff-banded Rail is smaller and more boldly marked, with a rufous eye-stripe and a broad orange breast band.
Identification
Weka are large rails. They are predominantly rich brown mottled with black and grey; the brown shade varies from pale to dark depending on subspecies. The male is the larger sex at 50–60 cm (20–24 in) in length and 532–1,605 g (1.173–3.538 lb) in weight. Females measure 46–50 cm (18–20 in) in length and weigh 350–1,035 g (0.772–2.282 lb). The reduced wingspan ranges from 50 to 60 cm (20 to 24 in).<p>The relatively large, reddish-brown beak is about 5 cm (2.0 in) long, stout and tapered, and used as a weapon. The pointed tail is near-constantly being flicked, a sign of unease characteristic of the rail family. Weka have sturdy legs and reduced wings.
Taxonomy
Genus: Gallirallus; Family: Rallidae; Order: Gruiformes.
- Scientific name
- Gallirallus australis
- Authority
- (Sparrman, 1786)
- Order
- Gruiformes
- Family
- Rallidae
- Genus
- Gallirallus
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds

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Large hummingbird with long white-tipped central tail feathers. Male is entirely blue-green; female has gray belly, green back, and obvious stripes on face. Bill extremely long and decurved. Found in forest, but also visits feeders at forest edge. Not easy to see away from feeders; often flies through the forest understory very quickly, occasionally stopping to feed at flowers.

Flame Robin
Petroica phoenicea
Large Australian robin. Male slaty gray above, with gray head and chin and small white spot above the bill. Breast and belly a bright orange-red. Black upperwing shows extensive white panels. Female brown above, paler brown below; darker wing with pale panels. In Tasmania, similar female Dusky Robin lacks pale wing panels. Forages in small flocks on the ground in farmland, grasslands, parks, and other open habitats in southeastern Australia and Tasmania.

Streaked Tit-Spinetail
Leptasthenura striata
Fairly common on western slopes of the Andes and in interior valleys, favoring drier habitats with weedy brush on rocky slopes, and also agricultural areas with hedges and thickets. Often in pairs, foraging low in weedy brush, where can be hard to see well; agile and often active, clinging upside down at tips of branches. Identified by boldly streaked crown and back, weakly patterned or mostly plain underparts, and very long spiky-tipped tail. Compare with the bulkier Andean Tit-Spinetail (local overlap in Peru).
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